What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in biotechnology. With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
【小题1】According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by ________.
A.diseases and aging | B.accidents and war |
C.accidents and aging | D.heart disease and war |
A.medicine | B.the Internet | C.brain cells | D.human organ |
A.heart disease will be far away from us |
B.human brains can decide the final death |
C.the basic materials of cells will last forever |
D.human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
A.Over 100 years. | B.More than 120 years. |
C.About 150 years. | D.The passage doesn't tell us. |
A.Cells aren’t the basic units of all living things any more |
B.humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
C.much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
D.we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
【小题1】A
【小题2】A
【小题3】D
【小题4】B
【小题5】C
解析试题分析:文章大意:本文主要讲述了人类的生命由于生物技术的发展可以无限期延长的愿望有可能成为现实。
【小题1】A细节题。由文章第一段最后一句Today's leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.得知,今天主要的杀手,如心脏病、癌症、年老将会成为遥远的记忆。
【小题2】A 细节题。第二段前两句In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times.的意思是说“在讨论技术变化时,人们往往注意到的是网络。然而药学方面的变化可能是当今真正技术方面的大事件”,故选A。
【小题3】D判断题。由第二段的后半部分可知,在2050~2100期间,每隔10年左右,人们可以通过吃药来修整生病的或衰老的器官,这应是未来长生不老的原因。
【小题4】B概括题。阅读全文后得知,文章没有具体告诉我们人们将来能活多少年。
【小题5】C 推理题。由最后一段得知,想像一下将来技术的发展改变了人类最基本的生存条件,真是让人兴奋,但想达到美好的将来还有很多技术问题要澄清。
考点:考查科技类短文阅读
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
One might expect that the evergrowing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but good for the countries that receive the holidaymakers. Indeed, a rosy picture is painted for the longterm future of the holiday industry. Every month sees the building of a new hotel somewhere. And every month another rockbound Pacific island is advertised as the ‘last paradise(天堂) on earth’.
However, the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy. In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of seaside holidays, overcrowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal.
Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer most. In recent years, Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education. Its forests, full of wildlife and rare flowers, were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise. In fact, the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holidaymakers traveling through the forest land. Ancient tracks became major routes for the walkers, with the consequent exploitation of precious trees and plants.
Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism. The people as well rapidly feel its effects. Farmland makes way for hotels, roads and airports; the old way of life goes. The onetime farmer is now the servant of some multinational organization; he is no longer his own master. Once it was his back that bore the pain; now it is his smile that is exploited. No doubt he wonders whether he wasn't happier in his village working his own land.
Thankfully, the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers. The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support from tourist companies. At the same time, tourists are being encouraged to respect not only the countryside they visit but also its people.
The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit. Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies. Increased understanding in planning worldwide tourism can preserve the market for these companies. If not, in a few years' time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed.
【小题1】What does the author indicate in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
A.The Pacific island is a paradise. |
B.The Pacific island is worth visiting. |
C.The advertisement is not convincing. |
D.The advertisement is not impressive. |
A.its natural resources are untouched |
B.its forests are exploited for farmland |
C.it develops well in health and education |
D.it suffers from the heavy flow of tourists |
A.They are happy to work their own lands. |
B.They have to please the tourists for a living. |
C.They have to struggle for their independence. |
D.They are proud of working in multinational organizations. |
A.The number of tourists. |
B.The improvement of services. |
C.The promotion of new products. |
D.The management of tourism. |
A.optimistic | B.doubtful |
C.objective | D.negative |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
EVERYONE has those nights – you lie in your bed for hours, tossing and turning, totally unable to fall asleep. You wish you could just turn your brain off as if it were a light. That would make things much easier, wouldn’t it?
Now it looks like you are one step closer to this wild dream of yours – scientists from Oxford University, UK have just discovered the “switch” that tells the brain to go to sleep, reported Forbes.
To understand the study, you first need to know that there are two mechanisms (机能) that regulate sleep. There’s one that we’re already familiar with – our body clock, which works in a 24-hour cycle based on the light changes throughout the day.
The other one is what scientists call the sleep “homeostat (动态平衡系统)”. This mechanism has nothing to do with daylight. Instead, it keeps track of the brain’s waking hours and urges it to rest if it has been awake for a long time. “It is similar to the thermostat (自动调温器) in your home. A thermostat measures temperature and switches on the heating if it’s too cold,” Professor Gero Miesenböck, who led the study, told The Telegraph.
Our bodies use both of the mechanisms to regulate sleep. “The body clock says it’s the right time, and the sleep thermostat has built up pressure during a long waking day,” explained Miesenböck.
There is no way that scientists can trick the body clock. But with the sleep homeostat, there might be something they can do.
The researchers found that the sleep homeostat works by activating a specific group of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. They tested their theory on fruit flies by removing the neurons from the insects’ brains. And as expected, they found that the flies without the homeostat neurons did not keep a regular sleep pattern anymore.
Now that scientists have pinpointed (定位) the exact place in the brain – or, the “switch” – that regulates sleep, they can begin investigating (研究) how to activate these cells at any given time so that people can be sent to sleep instantly.
More importantly, figuring out how sleep mechanisms work may also help us to one day unravel one of the oldest mysteries of all: why do we need to sleep in the first place?
【小题1】What is the article mainly about?
A.A new way to treat sleep disorders. |
B.The discovery of the sleep “homeostat”. |
C.Advice on what to do when you fail to fall asleep. |
D.A comparison of the two mechanisms that regulate sleep. |
A.Through examples. |
B.With comparisons. |
C.Through cause and effect analysis. |
D.By presenting research findings. |
A.Generally, the sleep homeostat has less effect on people during the day than at night. |
B.There is little scientists can do to affect the way the sleep homeostat works. |
C.What makes us go to sleep at night is probably a combination of the two mechanisms. |
D.The more homeostat neurons there are in one’s brain, the more easily one can fall asleep. |
A.put up with | B.figure out | C.keep track of | D.take notice of |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. " Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car. " The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. " A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes. " Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers , but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer.
"By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident," Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. "It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. "
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.
【小题1】What can we learn from Paragraph l?
A. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.
B. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.
C. Driverless cars are pointing us' a faraway future.
D. Google's self-driving cars have covered a long distance.
【小题2】We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.
A. helped design self-driving cars. |
B.supports self-driving cars on roads. |
C.considers self-driving cars science fiction. |
D.improved the self-driving car systems. |
A.They can help people drive more safely. |
B.They can take the place of drivers now. |
C.They can make cars run without fuel. |
D.They can help cars run much faster. |
A.They are not allowed to run on the road. |
B.Their technical problems remain to be solved. |
C.They are now too expensive for consumers. |
D.They are more dangerous for people on the street. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
If English means endless new words,difficult gramrnar and sometimes strange pronunciation,you are wrong.Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university,learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power,Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter.This is the area of the brain which processes information.It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater,the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli,from University College London,took a group of Britons who only spoke English.They were compared with a goup of “early bilinguals.’’who had learnt a second language before the age of five,as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language.But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language,the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,”said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. ‘‘Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,”he said.“You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading,writing,and comprehension were all tested.The results showed,that the younger they started to learn,the better.“Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,’’explained the scientists.
【小题1】The main subject talked about in this passage is
A.language can help brain power |
B.man's ability of learning a second language |
C.science on learning a second language |
D.language learning and maths study |
A.say language is also a kind of physical labor |
B.make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
C.show the importance of using the language when you learn the language |
D.prove that one needs more practice when he(she)is learning a language |
A.people who can speak two languages |
B.second language learners |
C.researchers on language learning |
D.active language learners |
A.the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people’s brain |
B.there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn’t know a second language |
C.the earlier you start to learn a second language,the higher the grey matter density is |
D.the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
A.learning a second language is the same as studying maths |
B.Italian is the best choice for you as a second language |
C.you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language |
D.early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in studying other subjects |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
There are some things humans can go without. We can lose a kidney (肾)or a lung, an arm or two and still live perfectly well. But some fish put us to shame. They can get by without stomachs.
One such fish is the stout longtom(尖嘴魚 ). The group it belongs to carries a more appropriate name: the needlefish. All needlefish lack stomachs. Their ancestors had them, but later they were lost.
The stout longtom can reach 1.3 meters in length, and lives near the sea surface. Like all needlefish, it can jump out of the water to escape its enemies. Tropical(热带) fishermen are sometimes injured by needlefish. In 1977, a 10-year-old Hawaiian boy was killed when a needlefish jumped through his brain. The longtom eats smaller fish. Its teeth are not good at cutting fish into pieces, so it swallows fish whole.
Ryan Day from Australia and his colleagues wanted to know how the longtom digests its meaty meals without a stomach, so they ran some chemical tests about the fish.
Day’s results show that the longtom can consume food without the help of a stomach. It uses a special material called trypsin(胰岛素) that can break down proteins without acid — although the approach is less efficient than using a stomach.
Because it’s a meat-eating animal, the longtom gets a lot of protein in its food, so it can afford this slightly less efficient system for absorbing it. Two plant-eating fish that Day studies actually had higher levels of trypsin in their body, as their food was low in protein.
Day thinks that the longtom and its stomachless relatives might actually have arrived at an energy-saving solution. He says that although the stomach is critical to many kinds of animal, the organ is “a fairly expensive organ to run”. This perhaps explains why some animals have got rid of theirs.
【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “get by” mean?
A.Live. | B.Fight. | C.Hunt. | D.Recover. |
A.catches smaller fish in the water |
B.can jump so high to escape its enemies |
C.digests the smaller fish in its body |
D.uses acid to break down the protein |
A.Acid | B.Trypsin. | C.The stomach. | D.Protein in its body. |
A.the longtom often waste energy |
B.the longtom can make acid easily |
C.the longtom’s high-protein food helps its unique way of consuming food. |
D.meat-eating fish have higher levels of trypsin in their bodies than plant-eating fish |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Microsoft has a problem:It desperately wants the remaining Windows XP users to upgrade to a newer version of the operating system but a good many of them still haven’t started.The latest numbers from NetMarket show that Windows XP still accounts for around 29.5%of all desktops in use even though Microsoft is due to end support for the l3-Year-old platform on April 8th.ZDNet reports that Microsoft plans to force remaining XP users to start next week by sending them notices reminding them again that it will end XP support within a month.
However, as Computerworld reports,Microsoft may have a tough time convincing some Windows XP users to upgrade because it's trying to sell them on Windows 8,the newest operating system that has angered many longtime PC users by removing the traditional Start menu and by adding the interface(界面)a special feature.Computerworld writes that many Windows users expressed anger last month when Microsoft asked them to help switch as many people as they could from Windows XP to Windows 8 partly because Microsoft hasn’t offered any sort of discount for Windows XP users making the switch.
This is particularly tiresome, these users said,because switching from XP to Windows 8 won’t just require a software upgrade but will instead likely force them to buy new machines capable(能够)of running Microsoft’s new operating system.Some users were also annoyed that Microsoft only mentioned Windows 8 and not Windows 7 as upgrade possibilities.
In the end,it looks like when Microsoft ends support for Windows XP next month there will still be a large part of the desktop PC world using the platform.Hackers who have been saving up all their best new malware(恶意软件)for the day when Windows XP support ends are about to have a field day.
【小题1】What problem does Microsoft have now?
A.Windows XP is out of date and needs improvement. |
B.Windows 8 runs worse than Windows XP. |
C.No people like to upgrade their operating system. |
D.Lots of users refuse to switch from XP to Windows 8. |
A.By sending them notices. |
B.By sending them daily emails. |
C.By adding the interface a special feature. |
D.By removing the traditional Start menu. |
A.Microsoft hasn’t offered any discount for it. |
B.They like Window 7 more than Window 8. |
C.Microsoft refuses to offer them a new machine. |
D.It’s impossible for them to use the new operating system. |
A.Show up without warning. |
B.Make rapid progress. |
C.Make full use of the opportunity. |
D.Come to an end completely. |
A.Windows XP will completely be out of use in a month. |
B.Windows XP will still be in use for a period of time. |
C.Windows 8 will have a longer history than Windows XP. |
D.Windows 7 will easily be attacked by Hackers. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Dogs wag(摇摆) their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back, a study has found.
Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behaviour of 30 dogs, catching their responses to a range of stimuli(刺激物) with video camems. To conduct the study, they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones aged between one and six years. The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part in the experiment at Bari University. The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front to allow for them to view various stimuli. They were tested one at a time.
The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the dogs were shown their owners —a positive experience— their tails wagged energetically to the right side. When they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right, but with somewhat less enthusiasm. The appearance of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag, although with less intensity again. The appearance of a large unfamiliar dog, similar to a German shepherd, changed the direction of tail wagging to the left. Researchers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back. When the dogs were not shown any stimuli, they tended to wag their tails to the left, suggesting they preferred company. While the changes in the tail wagging were not easily noticed without the aid of video, it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood (心情) of dogs. Computer and video systems, for example, could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that they were required to approach.
【小题1】The video cameras were used to catch the dogs’ response because______.
A.The dogs wagged their tails in different directions when they were in different moods |
B.they enabled the dogs’ owners to know about their dogs’ habit |
C.It was easier to catch the dogs’ response change in tail wagging |
D.The dog were put in the wooden boxes and tested one at a time |
A.surprise | B.worry | C.excitment | D.interest |
A.the dogs | B.the trainers | C.the systems | D.the researchers |
A.to train dogs for their owners |
B.to help dogs find company |
C.to help people judge the mood of dogs |
D.to help people choose their pet dogs |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Founded in 1966,Seacamp,the first program dedicated to the education of youth in marine(海洋的) sciences,is the result of a cooperative effort of parents,scientists,businessmen and camp leaders.Preservation practices and a respect for the marine environment are the philosophy of the Seacamp.
Seacamp’s tropical marine location in the lower Florida Keys enables it to offer a truly unique marine science program.This program is the heart of Seacamp.Young scientists participate in a variety of courses under the guidance of academically trained marine science instructors and biologists.All science activities include studies in both the field and the laboratory.Each session,140 to 160 campers come to Seacamp,mostly from the US,but also from across the world.There are about 30 international campers each summer from an average of twelve countries.Many Seacamp program graduates have gone on to careers as environmental educators and marine scientists.
One of Seacamp’s unique aspects is that campers create their schedules.In addition to science classes,campers choose from a variety of programs to ensure that there is something interesting and exciting for everyone.Campers interested in journalism may work on the camp newspaper,SEASCOPE,which is published periodically during camp sessions.Arts activities are also included.Photography allows campers to take home memories of friends,wildlife,and underwater experiences.
Seacamp teaches the fun and skills of sailing.It’s an excellent way for future marine scientists to become familiar with the winds,tides and currents that are of primary concern in oceanography.Basic Red Cross certification is offered to beginners in sailing.The Red Cross course in advanced lifesaving is taught at Seacamp.The course is designed to increase the campers’ ability to recognize and avoid dangerous water conditions and practices and to use selfrescue skills to get out of dangerous situations.
Parents may bring campers by car to Big Pine Key.Counselors(辅导员) also meet participants at the Miami International Airport on the opening day of camp and accompany them to Big Pine Key on a bus.The fee for roundtrip service is $90.To join the Seacamp adventure,interested campers should contact Seacamp for an application.
We love to talk about camp!For more information or to ask any questions you might have,please give our friendly staff a call and we’ll be glad to help!
【小题1】According to the text,Seacamp is designed to help campers ________.
A.have a good time at the seaside |
B.develop a sense of marine protection |
C.make a further study about sea life |
D.complete a course about marine wildlife |
A.Seacamp offers many programs apart from science classes |
B.Seacamp is responsible for training marine scientists |
C.beginners in sailing should learn the advanced Red Cross course |
D.Seacamp provides traditional camp activities such as arts and crafts |
A.attract the young to Seacamp |
B.present Seacampers’ experiences |
C.introduce the programs of Seacamp |
D.explain the aim of Seacamp |
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